Economic Construction by Means of Legal Institutionalization under Kim Jong Un Regime of North Korea (2012–2021)

Abstract

This article argues that legal institutionalization under the Kim Jong Un regime has been designed to improve the performance legitimacy of his regime by accumulating and more competitively distributing social surplus. There are five areas of focus that can be brought to bear to evaluate economic construction during the Kim Jong Un period: (1) an emphasis on profit and emergence of de facto taxes, (2) control of bureaucratic corruption and non-tax burdens, (3) regional empowerment of economic viability, (4) legalized market activities in tandem with strengthened property and contract rights, and (5) interest in the environmental protection and sustainable development goals.